• February 26, 2008

Is Facebook fatigue setting in? The social networking site's share of Web traffic fell 27% last week from its peak during the holiday season, according to Hitwise.

With a large portion of traffic still coming from college-age users (40% between 18 and 24), Hitwise says the drop could be tied to school-year schedules. But it also suggests the decline could reflect growing disenchantment with a torrent of friend and application invites on Facebook.

The site also made it easier this month for people to quit membership. The Hitwise data follows comScore's January report showing a slight dip in Facebook's traffic. But it looks like the site experienced a similar mid-winter lull last year before resuming steady growth for the rest of 2007. So don't give up your Scrabulous game just yet.

--Mark Walsh